A Cute Skirt

You may have seen my 2012 manifesto that I posted, which is as close to New Year's resolutions as I am likely to come.  I have it posted on the wall right next to my computer monitor at work, so it effectively stares me in the face whenever my gaze strays from my computer.  It's effective... here are some of the current focus points...

"Finish off the backyard with granite."  I haven't done this, but mentally it's moving up the list and it's one of those projects that requires planning.  I've observed that grass is trying to come back in a few areas, and this week's torrential rains will only strengthen the little blades.  I've emailed a friend/neighbor about their granite guy who did work earlier this year.  I've also envisioned having granite delivered, borrowing extra shovels from neighbors, and hiring day labor.  I've made a mental note to find the pricing sheet at home that I have from my granite place.  ("My" granite place.  You know.  Doesn't everyone have one??)

"Be frugal."   "Eat out less."  "Eat foods in their natural state."  As it turns out, these three go hand in hand (in hand.)  I've also made a really concerted effort to brew my own coffee in the morning instead of stopping at the neighborhood Starbuck's which is literally about 20 feet out of my way on the way to work in the morning.  If you knew how much I loathe washing out the coffee pot (although my compost loves the grounds) you would realize that this is great progress.  I am also getting a ton of great recipes from Pinterest, and I'm actually making them -- so there's the eating out less part.  And, I'm trying to use up all those odds and ends that have been in my pantry for far too long.    I call that multi-tasking (because I don't like to speak of killing birds with stones...)

"Do yoga daily."  I haven't been doing it every day, but I am doing it much more often.  I downloaded a yoga interval timer from the Apple app store, and I have it set to chime every 60 seconds.  I have a pictorial of poses on the floor by my mat, and every time it chimes I change poses.  It's really good for me because I struggle with time, and I never know how long I've held a pose.  The harder ones feel like it's been 3 minutes, when in reality it was probably 20 seconds...

"Appreciate your dog."  My dog has been uber snugly lately.  And I am so letting her snuggle.  And I am trying really hard to give her more attention and longer walks.  She does wait for me at home every day.  All day.  It's the least I can do.  But I will say -- even before the manifesto, she had a pretty sweet life going.

"Get under the house and finally figure out why the kitchen is cold."  This past weekend I zipped up my Tyvek zoot suit, got a huge light on a long extension cord, and took a field trip under my house.  The cord was long enough for me to reach everywhere except under the guest room.  I did indeed determine at least part of the problem with the kitchen -- the sub floor is plywood.  Everywhere else in the house it is old planking.  It's due in part to a remodel that was done on the back of the house at some point.  To attempt to remedy, Red and I are donning our matching zoot suits this weekend and installing some insulation in that part of the house.  I also hope to make it to the public library today to get a copy of the original construction plans for the house -- that's been on my list for quite some time -- to help us decipher what in the heck happened back there.  I'm pretty sure there is a whole other blog post here...

"Start playing tennis and get a cute skirt."  I got the cute skirt.  It's black.  It's still sort of cold for me to contemplate actually playing...

"Don't let the laundry pile up."  So far I can declare a total victory here.  I've even washed my shower curtain.  So there.

"Take more time to hang out with friends."  I've spent a full day each of the last two weekends and spent the day with friends -- no projecting!  (And hence no blogging!)  And for the most part, was glad and consider it time well spent.  There is a small Sunday evening ache when you review your weekend and your project list, but ... it pays back in other, better ways.

"Really listen when the people you love speak."  I've made a conscious effort to sit down, and have my hands idle when I am on the phone with people, rather than racing around the house and multi-tasking during the conversation.  It doesn't come easy to me, but it does make me a better listener.

"Pursue the little house dream."  I did a lot of reading about work shops, and have started to ferret out more details on the logistics of it all.   I've started a conversation with Red about what a tiny house life could look like.   I think I've determined going to a workshop is on hold at least until Fall, so that when I attend I'm in a better position to come home and actually start executing.  I read about them weekly...

"Give yourself more avocado facials."  Check - did one this week... such great hydration...

"Get to know your neighbors."  I ran a blurb in our quarterly neighborhood newsletter in January, offering to organize a vegetarian pot luck dinner at my house.  I had a great response, and it's scheduled for February.  I'll meet at least a dozen new like-minded people in my neighborhood!  That's fun.

So, I'm off to a good start... Did you make resolutions?  How are you doing?